did you ever know someone for your whole life? yes....and did you ever know them to surprise you again and again?  some friends, very good life long friends....that you may not see that often....you may not talk that often....you are separated by distance from these good old friends.....your lives have moved in different directions, so you think.....and still, every time you talk...you know each other so well that you don't have to explain yourself....it's just like yesterday....yesterday seems like years and years ago and at the same time like minutes ago!

that's ginny.  she has been my friend since i can remember having friends.  ours is  a friendship that came about organically.  we lived near each other...our families were friends...we went to the same school...the same church...brownies...girl scouts.....and....we played at polliwog.

i can't remember not having my friend ginny in my life.  sure, we had other friends, we've moved, we've lost touch and reconnected many times....we've always remained good old friends.

we've lived  and weddings, wakes and funerals... it's just how life is.  i find the gift of friendship to be the biggest gift in my life...besides family.  although, many of my friends are my own creation of family...

when grace was just 5 and t.j. 3 1/2, our phone  rang....it was ginny to let us know she'd like us all to be at her wedding...she wanted grace and ted to be there with us....she  had never met them....this was her chance. from such a huge family with 9 brothers and sisters and so many nieces and nephews, i was flattered to think she cared enough to have us there....and our kids too!

we went to the church where we both were baptized....

and all of the little kids sat up on the altar surrounding the bride and groom....her husband was her dream come true....i was as happy for her as she was for me on my day....biff loved her too. 

the first wedding grace and t.j. had ever been to was as fun as a kid could imagine.  formal and traditional.....my friend stepped to the dance floor with her dad....we waited for daddy's little girl to begin.....a song i loved so much....and the band began....

"hoist up the john b. sail, see how the main sail sets, call up the captain ashore, i wanna go home!......"beach boys"

.......her dad was john b. and they did sail together!  that was ginny!  that was my friend! grace and ted loved weddings....and we always think of ginny whenever we here that beach boys song!

what's the expression?  "you can choose your friends but you can't choose your family!"

i've seen pillows that say,"friends welcome anytime, but family requires reservations!"

i'm blessed to love both family and friends. since i am much younger than my two brothers, i've found my own sisters along the way....maybe to compensate.  

i love my brothers.....even though they still treat me like i'm twelve.  it's hard for grace and t.j. to understand that.  they try.  grace and ted have the good and the bad of being only sixteen months apart and one grade apart. they share the same friends if they happen to be in the same place....they no longer play together...ha! they no longer "hang" together...they both go their own ways and if they happen to cross paths, they all know each other.

that was not my life with family.  my brothers were close in age as well....then, i arrived 8 years later.  biff and i laugh about it....two brothers with their together dynamic for 8 whole years.....and then...KABOOM...this baby girl arrived.

i'm sure that was a difficult adjustment....for them!  i was just fine. i had my life.  i loved it...i could play with everyone and still go home and have my stuff.  i had these two very big brothers who were family yet we lived in different worlds.

it only came as  shock to me as i began my teenage years...i thought i had grown up....i thought i could understand them since i was so mature....but NOT.  NEVER has that day come.  STILL i imagine that day might come....but really, no. it's just not meant to be. 

oh, don't get me wrong! i'm blessed to have two wonderful brothers.  they've been very good to me.  very good.  they have been protectors.  they have been baby sitters.  they have been there.  they are forever my big brothers.  apparently, i'll always be the little sister...which isn't so bad after all....especially as i get older!

well, it's only logical.  by the time i was in 4th grade, one brother went to college and in 5th grade both brothers were off to college. they were back...but they worked.  they got jobs...they had cars...they were at woodstock!

even since i've been married and had babies, then toddlers, school kids, teens....and they still treat me like i'm  twelve. i can only imagine it from their point of view....

back to my friends...i'm grateful.  i'm grateful that my friends are so close...that we all treat each other like family....not pets with a pat on the head!
although, in our family, we treat our sweet pets with lots of love!

just yesterday, the mail arrived...with a giant package. the package was from ginny. 

i forgot about our facebook chat.  we have been in touch...especially christmas cards...maybe a birthday here or there....now we've become friends on facebook!we have reunited with lots of "friends"....old and new....just like bumping to each other on the street at home or even polliwog, friends pop up with funny comments, lots post literary quotes, status or day to day ironies, some post words of encouragement  or reminisce....and that's a great connection...it's a potpourri of people and poetry and polling and poking fun!

friends pop up unexpectedly and randomly and comment on life and make a thoughtful comment or photos of family and brighten the day....randomly...we cross paths on facebook with friends and family too.


recently, ginny posted pictures of family....all of her brothers and sisters and their families and more.  the faces are familiar and bring back yesterdays and yesterdays more....i smile again and again as i click...with tears in my eyes.....as i see familiar faces and their eyes and smiles in the next generation....and my day is happier...brighter.


ginny posted photos of her artwork...pastels and sketches and portraits and seascapes.  i was in awe of her spectacular work and her artistic sense and talent that i had never known......after all these years!

i had to post comments.....like, "wow!", "i can feel the ocean in this!",  "look at that sky!" and one that made me gasp!



my post said, "this looks just like grace!".....i could feel her spirit....i could see her jumping over the dunes!  i could smell the ocean air and take pictures of the perfect beach day....i could smell the coppertone!

ginny posted some comments on my wall as well.  we made little connections throughout the months since we've officially "friend-ed" on facebook!

she said it was in the mail.  she said it was for me...she said it was because i said it looked like grace at the beach!

it just arrived!  i  could barely speak...a rare thing....biff was with me when i opened the large box.....filled with Styrofoam packing peanuts.....they spilled out as i tugged at the bubble wrap covering the framed pastel...

i tugged and tugged and tugged....biff and i finally got hold of the tightly wrapped masterpiece.  we began peeling back the tape that held the bubble wrap securely.  


i was rambling about good old friends....i was rambling about how unbelievable that my friend would just send it to me......me......just because i said it looked like grace.


we got it open....i held my arms wide open to hold up the gold frame with the beautiful blue pastel sky and green grassy dunes.....

i cried tears of joy....my friends are my family!  for life! i'm grateful.

here i sit. it's the beginning of the weekend.  i love the weekend. although i do have a moment that i think to myself, o.k. what can we do, what can we accomplish, where will we go, let's make the most of it.

then, i breathe.  i think to myself, is that really how i want to live?  i like the structure. structure is good...especially for our kids....especially to keep biff and i to keep focused.

we're both a tad overwhelmed since we still drive up the driveway to see two giant dumpsters filled to overflowing.....it's more the look of sanford and son than marthastewart http://www.magazine-agent.com/martha-stewart-living/magazineor 

country home magazine!
http://www.countryliving.com/homes/ 
we have stuff...we have stuff in the yard...we have workers who promise to come back....they are tending to bigger and better flood families!

so, i am torn.  do i try to clean up the lawn, the inside, the garage, shop for the new washer and dryer, walk the dogs at the beach, mail e-bay to customers, sell e-bay 

or shop for new clothing that was lost in the flood...just askin'

we seem to be temporarily frozen in neutral. we do little bits at a time. we get interrupted by life. we have your average interruptions...  family, dogs, cats, meetings, appointments...and some time to just be.  just quietly be.

we all need to have balance. balance keeps us "centered!"....the overused sensitive new age word of the day. peace. hmmmmmm. core. flax seed kind of words that we have integrated into our daily vocabulary to let people know that we are hip to the health culture. we don't mention when we eat chips. by the way, don't mention the peanut m&m's in the company of others either!

it's a dead giveaway that you are not conscious of life choices.

use words like, granola, bran

greens, bran, water, soy, tofu.

be subtle.  very subtle.  these are my own personal suggestions

use them quietly. do not shout these out. stand proud while the others are in awe of what a great parent you are!

*mention your health food store...

*better yet, carry your eco-totes, 

*wear yoga inspired tops or organic tees. 

*mention your recycle bin....the $ your kids have saved at the bottle recycle center at your grocery store...

*mention that they're paying for their own trip to a random country, other than the u.s.a.  the $ from their recycled bottles will be paying for! 

*when you're asked about the vacation  destination.... be sure to nod your head no because your kids will going to a country with no running water or dirty water...tetanus shots are required.

just sayin'....you'll be way more interesting than if you talk about your kids and their new blackberries, cell phones,

i-pods

i-tunes accounts and their shallow shoppinghabits of conspicuous consumption....and their diet of starbucks frappechinos and blueberry muffins!

just sayin'.

back to us and our plans for the weekend.  we can't order pizza, we did that last night.  we will do our best.  i will try not to crack under the pressure and stress and eat peanut m&m's.

 

we will begin our saturday morning with starbucks coffee.
tp://www.starbucks.com/ 

biff and i might have more than one cup...maybe, living in the fast lane that we do...we will have 3 cups.  not to be confused with yuppies, which we were but cannot admit.  we're not proud of it anymore....it lands like a cannonball in conversation rather than  a darling dive. that's when i talk of my outward bound trip and my personal growth....

oh, and i did train for a marathon!  oops, at the last minute i chickened out. that's not good in today's conversation.

it's way better to have blown a knee at mile 24 on my fourth marathon for cancer or diabetes or world hunger. better ix-nay on the marathon-nay!

make a note of that...it will save you lots of stares and discomfort after the cannonball

today. this is my life. ready. go.

wake up.

talk to biff about our lives...maintenence life...

kids,

dog walks, 

list my vintage on e-bay, 

pay the dog sitters today, 

kid schedules, bank,

post office, 

biff work updates...he just got another order, my e-bay updates, sold some, mailed some.  sold the tracy porter 
http://stores.ebay.com/littlemarymixup?_rdc=1 
cake plate. sold the j.crew cardigan sweater. sold the tracy porter cake knife. sold the tin kitchen sign.  oops. gotta mail it

out!  that's my biggest challenge....but, i'm getting it done!  mom would be proud since i didn't get her organizational abilities or her good post office karma....but, i'm learning...finally.

oops. gotta mail it out!

that's my biggest challenge....but, i'm getting it done!  mom would be proud since i didn't get her organizational abilities or her good post office karma....but, i'm learning...finally!

http://www.bhg.com/home-improvement/storage/around-the-house/ideas-for-garage-organization/ 

pick up kids=when?

sleep over kids=yes or no?

sleep over kids= time?

grocery shopping=

need milk,

need cereal

biff and i=need a

exercise and a date, not in that order. 

 

oops. i stopped to write here on my blog and stopped listing my e-bay vintage! 
http://stores.ebay.com/littlemarymixup?_rdc=1 

gotta go. what was that i was saying about structure?  

oh, by the way, t.j. ended up going to a friend's house....and also had a spontaneous sleepover!

grace has 2 fun friends sleeping over...one who's afraid of dogs. just an hour ago, grace asked me casually, "oh and could you do something with the dogs? macy is afraid of them...terrified actually...so, could you move them somewhere?" then after my directions, she left the room.  i wonder where she thinks the dogs will go?  a spa for the night?  a movie?  the girls are all revved up to watch "marley and me".... 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kG6zQypICH8

and they've got the tissue.

"see ya" soon....here or e-bay!
http://stores.ebay.com/littlemarymixup?_rdc=1 

thanks for stopping by! sorry i'm not going to have too much to say because i have a little eye strain right now.  the computer is hurting my eyes!  e-bay, blog and facebook!  

earlier today, i had some time with some real computer literate people!  i learned so much that my head was spinning...

so much learning and trying to think left brain for 3 hours when i'm right brain.....no wonder why i have eye strain!  i have brain strain too.  

i have lots of kooky things that have happened this week. what else is new.

my eyes are still not back to normal since the concussion.  sun light and eye strain continues to upset me.  It's not something that i've ever had to deal with before.  I've always had perfect eyesight...until some of the  40 something stuff kicked in!  so, now just some reading glasses.

now, reading glasses aren't the problem...it's the concussion snow globe head i have.  it's still here!  mind boggling.

i'm tired.  i'm going to sleep.  too much strain on my eyes after a long day.  

ha ha!  the doc said to rest...sure!  was she kidding?  how? where? when? someday?

so, never take your beautiful eyes for granted.  be grateful. everyday be grateful for your gifts. whatever they are. little=big grateful!  it makes my days better!

even with eye strain!

good news...i got some more blonde today!  after the month of flooding troubles, it's time!

i have happy hair! that's what biff says!  he knows that my blonde is relative to my happiness.  feel good, ya look good...ya look good, ya feel good!!  so, on that note....i'm going to sleep on my color and cut!!

Happy Earth Day! It's a wonderful day to stop and be thankful for the beauty around us. Today we can recognize how precious our abundant 

resources are to us.  much of what we do have we have to work tirelessly to keep and do our best as individuals to be an active participant in caring for our own small world. We can be mindful.  we can keep and inner checklist running throughout the day. Check. Check. Check.

We have many places to volunteer, organizations  and groups to join...sometimes that can be overwhelming.  that's why it's a good thing to start in our own homes....check.......our own lawns....check......and our town.....check......before we individually go global!  

If we haven't changed our light bulbs at home, it's a bit much to conquer the global warming issues.  we can begin with our own heat....lower the heat in the winter and the air conditioning in the summer.  Check.

We can continue to constantly remind our children to turn off their lights and their radios, ip ods and computers when they leave the room. Check.

It's the little things.that I can take care of to feel I am actively making an effort to respect the resources that we have today I think of the fish when I run water while brushing my teeth, taking a shower or watering the plants. Check.

When I am in the car waiting  for endless hours, days, weeks,  months and years for our kids to find their sneakers, hats, cleats, wrist guards, helmets, backpacks, lollipops, lacrosse sticks, homework, favorite blankets, socks, ipods, flip flops, team shirt, snorkel gear, elmo, cell phones, sippy cups, boogie boards, good night moon book, sunglasses, mittens, best friends, water bottles, beach towels, ballet shoes, brothers and sisters over the years......i turn off the engine of the car.  I figure that alone must save enough gasoline to fuel a spaceship to the moon. Check.

Since i'm very visual, i imagine the spaceship with my monogram on the side. brushing my teeth, i think about dora in flushed away....i like to think about the cute cartoon fish rather than the fish in the window of the fish store with his bulging eyes staring at me.  While changing a lightbulb, I like to think about having an idea for a new joke about how many blondes  it takes to get the job done. Check.

last year, while feeling particularly earthy crunchy, i went to the fancy pants kitchen store....a shock to my inner becky home ecky, who dreams of cooking extravagant feasts.....

to find a compost bin for our kitchen counter!  I realized my inner earth biscuit when I chose the bamboo bin and natural bamboo is bamboo color....which is a shade of the brown family.  I bit the bullet/bamboo when I paid full price for a compost bin that did not meet my inner color goddess' approval.  actually, it was a struggle just to take it off the shelf....but, I was cool! I was hip! I was down! I was on it! I was with it! I was all over it!  Until my hippie/artsy/crunchy factor clashed with my classic/traditional/prep factor!

I managed to get out the door with the new compost bin...i took a deep breath and lugged my pricey bamboo bin to the car.....I drove home feeling pretty earth conscious and groovy....it was just after that that it hit me.  The conflict within was real!  As I placed the bin on the black granite counter, on top of the old white cabinets, next to the new white sink, above the white tile floor, in front of the bead board walls, across from....YIKES!...conflict...

SAPPHIRE BLUE walls....

conflict...conflict...above the white bead board!  It was scary for me.  I felt like I was in a which fish is different picture.

I pushed on despite the crazy color wheel spinning inside my head....i left the fancy schmancy bamboo compost bin on the counter. I began using it after dinner. I was justifying the color clash because I, alone was going to change the world one paper filled with coffee grounds at a time, one sorry salad  leftover at a time, one banana peel at a time, one apple core at a time....and the bamboo began to blend in....slowly.  The clash was fading....slowly. i was too caught up in my compost contribution to care. I was a crunchy prep combo platter and there was no going back. Check.

I was contributing to the big picture....I was proud.  I began to recycle a bit more.  Check.

A few years ago, we got new windows installed in the house.  We were tired of our hair blowing in the wind on cold winter days! Check.

Shorter showers. check.

Lights out. check.

Drug free lawn....even though it's not as green as the jones'. check.

 

My love of the earth...for real, not for crunch chat....began at polliwog pond.  Polliwog was the place the kids got down and dirty.  there were always girls and boys down at Polliwog Pond. 

The Dinosaur Tree was the  challenge of champions....it was shaped like the long curvy neck of  Dino the Dinosaur, on The Flintstones.

Polliwog is where I learned to fish...like Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn.....with a stick and string and a hook....we all fished there.  That was where I learned about nature.  In it.

Biff and I chose our house in Connecticut when we saw the house on the hill with the stone wall in front....it was like the beautiful stone walls at the big ol'1700's brick house farm  where he grew up. The trees ,the stone walls and the gravel drive was reminiscent of my polliwog  days written all over it.  I attribute our love of nature to polliwog and Brick House Farm!  We're here because of the earth...it was subliminal for Biff and I.  It's always the little things.  

Happy Earth Day! Think about the little things!